Matt Shakmanis a student of the game, with credits from some of the best television series of the past decade. WhileMarvel is no stranger to hiring TV directors, such as theRusso Brothers, who worked onArrested DevelopmentandCommunitybefore entering theMarvel Cinematic UniversewithCaptain America: The Winter Soldier, andJake Schreier, who lent his directorial talent onBeef,Dave, andStar Wars:Skeleton Crewbefore helmingThunderbolts*, they don’t quite measure up to the amount of work Shakman has done, nor did they have the experience with scale and scope like Shakman’s past filmography entailed before jumping into the world of the MCU.
His work ranges from comedy sitcoms likeIt’s Always Sunny in Philadelphiato prestige dramas likeSuccessionandBillionsto massive projects likeGame of Thrones,The Boys,Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, and, of course, Marvel’s first-ever Disney+ series,WandaVision. Shakman’s body of work accumulates over 130 episodes of TV, whichmakes him one of the MCU’s most valuable creative assets.
Matt Shakman Understands That Character Needs To Shine Above All
Shakman’s vast experience has enabled him to balance spectacle with character-driven narratives, making him not only the perfect choice to finally deliver the perfect adaptation of The Fantastic Four, butan ideal creative to keep the MCU relevantas it navigates a very treacherous time for the brand and comic book-based content as a whole. While it might not seem likeIt’s Always Sunny in PhiladelphiaorSuccessionare the perfect precursors for tackling Marvel’s first family, both of these series are anchored in that very concept. The bonds on those specific shows might be a bit more problematic and dysfunctional, but being able to harness the dynamics of those relationships is key to being able to portray any kind of family, something that also came into play with Wanda Maximoff’s (Elizabeth Olsen) makeshift unit inWandaVision.
There are also big familial themes inGame of ThronesandMonarch: Legacy of Monsters, butthose shows also depict worlds that are so massive compared to the sitcoms and dramasShakman has worked on. Even though one of those series features both Godzilla and King Kong,the human characters are put at the forefront for once, and it’s actually compelling, especially when compared to how human characters are handled on the big screen in movies with those gargantuan creatures. Shakman also directed an episode ofGame of Thronesthat was highly acclaimed in its most controversial season with “The Spoils of War,” which pulled off the impossible task of balancing emotional development with a myriad of different characters while driving the plot forward in the enormous fantasy world of Westeros.
There’s no doubt thatThe Fantastic Four: First Stepswas a win for the MCU when it comes to audience and critical reaction, andMarvel needs to keep talent like Matt Shakman around to continue its trend of quality over quantity. This was accomplished by juggling the cosmic scale of The Fantastic Four, facing off with Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and Silver Surfer (Julia Garner), with a presentation of the titular family that makes these super-powered scientists relatable. Audiences live for these larger-than-life characters being brought to life from page to screen, but what makes a difference in this medium is making the audience feel something. The key to evoking those emotions is grounding these characters in very human situations, so that even though fans would never be in those exact situations, the conflicts reflect everyday life, just on a grander scale.
The MCU Needs To Place Stock in Creatives Like Matt Shakman
The MCU is at a crucial crossroads, and rather than turning to what has produced winning projects in the past, like they are with the Russo Brothers forAvengers: DoomsdayandAvengers: Secret Wars, they need to take a giant step forward and bet on the new blood that is changing the game for the genre, so that they can continue to be successful, andMatt Shakman is certainly a name that should be at the top of that list. Marvel needs its new Avengers-level director, and it’s very clear Shakman knows how to handle the scope of a team-up movie facing off with a world-ending threat. With Schreier being the one to bring the MCU’s version of the X-Men to life, there’s no doubt there will be big things to come for Shakman as well, whether that be a sequel toThe Fantastic Four: First Stepsor another staple for theMCU post-Avengers: Secret Wars.
However,it would be greatto see Shakman take on more long-form storytelling for Marvel, especially seeing as most of the series haven’t hit as hard asWandaVisiondid. WhileKevin Feigewants toeliminate the homework aspect of the series leading into the filmswithin the MCU, the small-screen side of Marvel needs more drawing power via characters that the general audience can connect to, which Shakman has proven he can deliver. Wanda may have been more of a background player when she was introduced inAvengers: Age of Ultron, but she became a fan favorite because ofWandaVision. While it’s a shame that all of that potential for Wanda to be a key player in the universe was wasted inDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, more along those lines is exactly what the MCU needs right now — characters who can lead movies just like Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) andSteve Rogers (Chris Evans), and Matt Shakman can be one of the pillars in telling stories that deliver just that for Marvel.
Matt Shakman’sThe Fantastic Four: First Stepsis in theaters now, andWandaVisionis available to stream on Disney+.
